E 

341 




ADDRESS 

READ BY 

JOHN CROPPER, A. M., LLB. 

President of the Society of the Cincinnati 
In the State of Virginia 

AT 

YORKTOWN 

BEFORE 

The General Society of the Cincinnati 

ON 

11 MAY, 1905 
UPON 

The Siege of Yorktown . 



Printed by the General Society 




Class ^- ■ .. 

Gopyright N" 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 




ADDRESS 



READ BY 

JOHN CROPPER, A. M., LL.B. 

President of the Society of the Cincinnati 
In the State of Virginia 

AT 
YORKTOWN 

BEFORE 

The General Society of the Cincinnati 

ON 

11 MAY, 1905 
UPON 

The Siege of Yorktown 



Printed by the General Society 



^' - a 



LIBRARY of OONGHESS 
Iwo Copies rieceivcu 

JUN 5 lyoo 

OooyrtKiit tiiirv 
6'. f9cS- 

tU.SS CI. XXc No, 
COPY B. 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1905, by 

ASA BIRD GARDIXER, LL.D., I.. H. D.. Secretary General 

and 

JOHN CROPPER, A. M., LL.B., 

In the Office of the L,ibrarian of Congress at Washington, 1). C. 



We stand here among surroundings, however plain and un- 
important they may appear today, that mark a theatre upon 
whose stage was enacted in 1781 scenes that, considering the 
causes and circumstances which led up to them and the re- 
sults which ensued from them, produced one of the most pic- 
turesque and far-reaching events in the history not only of 
this country but of the whole world. 

It is unnecessary to recall all that happened between 19th 
April, 1775, and 19th October, 1781 ; suffice it to say that the 
British forces and the British government having failed to 
crush the head of the dragon of rebellion, attempted to cut it 
in two by striking at the middle ; and with this object in view 
began those operations in the South that culminated with the 
siege and capture of Charleston, from which point the Royal 
troops were to proceed Northward, occupying the country, 
and finally to possess and devastate the middle colony of Vir- 
ginia; and thus destroy the base from which much food and 
many men were supplied to the Rebel armies. It is not need- 
ful for us to enumerate now the many gallant actions and stub- 
born resistance which blocked the course of the invaders 
through the Carolinas before they arrived within the borders 
of this Commonwealth, but we will begin with the operations 
of Lord Cornwallis therein. 

Early in the year General de Lafayette had been sent with 
a small force to in some measure check the raids of Arnold 
and Tarleton; and in the first part of March arrived at Wil- 
liamsburg to join General Muhlenberg, who was guarding the 
roads that led from Portsmouth, the British base. To block- 
ade the Chesapeake there was sent at the same time from New- 
port a small French fleet, which was engaged and driven off 
by the British. Left without this support, Lafayette turned 
to join Washington in the North, but at the Head of Elk re- 
ceived dispatches directing him to return and become a part 
of General Greene's command. He passed through Baltimore 
on 19th April and was at Richmond on .the 29th. Here he 
received orders from Greene to command the Continental 
troops in Virginia and to protect the State. He attempted to 
occupy Petersburg, but was too late; and at that place on the 
20th May Cornwallis arrived; and then began that series of 
marches and counter-marches by which Lafayette showed such 
skill in keeping out of the enemy's way, until he had crossed 
the Rapidan and been reinforced by General Wayne, who came 



down through Maryland. This enabled him to check Corn- 
wallis to some extent, and the latter retired southward with 
the French boy hanging on his rear. No fighting took place 
till the 26th June, when there was a slight skirmish six miles 
above Williamsburg; and on the 6th July occurred the battle 
of Green Spring, which was brought on by Wayne supposing 
that most of the British force had crossed the James. This 
was not the case; but his gallantry saved his men, and al- 
though success was with the King's troops, they did not follow 
it up. Lafayette encamped at Malvern Hill the 20th July; 
and Cornwallis and Tarleton at Suffolk. In a short time the 
entire Britisli army was at Portsmouth in preparation to em- 
bark for New York, but Cornwallis urged Sir Henry Clinton 
to allow him to retain the whole force; and. while Washing- 
ton and Greene were speculating why these troops were being 
concentrated at Portsmouth, Cornwallis suddenly appeared at 
Yorktown, which place he was only to leave as a prisoner of 
war. How^ did he happen to go there? Clinton, when he 
determined to leave this army in Virginia, ordered Cornwallis 
to establish a naval station at Old Point Comfort and to pro- 
tect it by fortifying Yorktown. His Lordship made a survey 
of the water at Old Point; but, determining that it was not 
advantageous for the establishment of such a station, pro- 
ceeded up the York river as far as this, which he deemed the 
best place. He began fortifications here and at Gloucester 
Point, opposite, considering that he was carrying out the spirit 
of his instructions. Li the bitter controversy which followed. 
as it always does when a campaign fails, Clinton said his in- 
structions had not been obeyed, and Cornwallis the re\-erse. 

We must now turn our thoughts to the North. General 
Washington was encamped on the Hudson and the Count dc 
Rochambeau was at Newport. On the 22d May these two 
Generals, with Knox. Duportail and Chastellux, held a Council 
of War at Weathersfield, Connecticut, where it was determined 
that the French troops should form a junction with the Amer- 
icans on the Hudson and attack Clinton at New York, which 
he held with a depleted force. This junction was accom- 
plished at the beginning of July, and an attempt was made by 
General Lincoln and the Duke de Lauzun to surprise the en- 
emy's outposts at King's Bridge. Their attempt failed ; but 
it served notice on Sir Henry Clinton that he might be be- 
sieged ; and he at once sent to withdraw the troops from Corn- 
wallis in Virginia, which was the cause for the concentration 



of them at Portsmouth. We have seen, however, that Corn- 
walhs finally kept all his men and went to Yorktown. 

Thus matters stood, Washington in front of Clinton in the 
North, Lafayette watching Cornwallis in the South, till the 
middle of August, when word came that the Count de Grasse 
with his powerful fleet was surely coming from the West 
Indies and purposed entering the Chesapeake. Washington 
had intended that the Count should come to New York ; but, as 
that was not the case, his great genius showed itself in at once 
changing his point of attack from New York to Yorktown. 
He without delay ordered his army to cross the Hudson, and, 
leaving small forces at West Point, Saratoga, on the Mohawk 
and the Canadian frontier, began his great march through the 
Jerseys on his way to Virginia. Clinton thought this move- 
ment meant an attack on New York by way of Staten Island. 
He was not undeceived till New Brunswick had been reached ; 
and it was not till Princeton had been passed that many of the 
higher officers of the French and Americans knew where they 
were going; so well had the secret been kept. Once their des- 
tination was known the men marched rapidly. On the 5th 
September Washington was at the Head of Elk, and on the 
day before had received from Baltimore positive assurance 
that de Grasse was in the Chesapeake. Cornwallis had re- 
mained in ignorance of Washington's movements ; not so 
Lafayette, who recalled Wayne from the south bank of the 
James, and, coming down to meet him, formed a line across 
the peninsula at Williamsburg. Cornwallis, misinformed of 
de Grasse's coming, failed to attempt to break this line, trust- 
ing to the arrival of the British fleet from the West Indies, 
which he was expecting as Washington was that of the 
French. As a matter of fact, the British fleet did arrive first ; 
but, not finding any enemy at the entrance of the bay, went on 
to New York, and when it returned de Grasse was established 
within the capes and had dispatched the troops from his fleet, 
under the Marcjuis de St. Simon, to Jamestown Island. On 
the 5th September, the day Washington reached the Head of 
Elk and St. Simon landed at Jamestown, the French Ad- 
miral stood out to sea and engaged the British fleet under Ad- 
mirals Hood, Drake and Graves. After an action of less than 
two hours the enemy withdrew and de Grasse remained in 
possession of the Chesapeake. It was not till the i8th 
September that all of Washington's army had started 
down the bay, some directly from the Head of Elk and 



others by way of Baltimore and Annapolis, whence they 
were taken by French frigates to landings on the James. 
On the 26th all the divisions were encamped ; Washing- 
ton's, the French and Lafayette's, in front of Williams- 
burg. 

On the 28th the allied armies marched from Williamsburg 
in a single body; but about half way broke into separate col- 
umns, filing of¥, the French to the left, the Americans to right. 
Noon saw them within two miles of Yorktown. Resistance 
there was none, the British pickets falling back as their enemy 
appeared. That night the allies formed a line within a mile 
of the town, extending from the York River on their left to 
the Beaverdam on their right. \\^ashington's order was 
"The whole army, officers and men, will lay on their arms this 
night." 

Yorktown was not well situated for defense. It stands, as 
you see, on a bluff overlooking the river. Cornwallis en- 
circled it with a line of ten redoubts, two of which, the famous 
9 and 10, stood in advance and detached on his extreme left. 
He also placed a projecting redoubt called the Horn work, 
commanding the road to Hampton. These were the inner 
works. Above the town a ravine sets up from the river and 
runs round in front ; and below the town is Wormsley's Creek. 
These two form a narrow neck of land, over which run the 
Williamsburg and Hampton roads. To make an outer line 
of defense Cornwallis threw up three redoubts, two by the 
Williamsburg road and the other at the Hampton. He also 
had some entrenchments at Moore's Mill and. on the extreme 
right, a star-shaped redoubt beyond the ravine, known as the 
Fusileers' Redoubt, being held by the Royal Welch Fusileers 
and protected by the war ship Guadaloupe. He had sixty-five 
pieces of artillery, none over eighteen pounders and some of 
these had been brought ashore from the war ship Charon. 

The opposing armies were made up of English and Ger- 
mans, French and Americans, nations always noted for their 
valor and bra\-ery. They were the flower of both hosts and 
most of them veterans. We must admit, however, that there 
were in round numbers, sixteen thousand besiegers and seven 
thousand five hundred besieged. Time does not allow the 
enumeration of the regiments, their leaders and commanders. 

On the 29th, the day after their arrival, the attacking armies 
spread out and established a permanent camp in the form of a 
semi-circle reaching from the river on the left to \\'ormsley"s 



Creek on the right. The next morning they awoke to a sur- 
prise, the enemy had abandoned the outer works and with- 
drawn to those next the town. Before noon Washington had 
occupied the abandoned redoubts, beginning at once to arrange 
them for his own use and to add others. In the course of 
four days he had converted what had been the enemy's outer 
Hne into his first fortified position. This was done under a 
severe fire from the British, but all worked with a good will, 
including the Commander-in-Chief, who allowed no detail 
to escape him, the siege guns being brought up from the James 
by means of his own baggage wagons and those of the higher 
officers. 

But what of the other side of the river at Gloucester Point ? 
General Weeden and the Duke de Lauzun had forces there, 
the latter reinforcing the former ; and the whole under the 
command of General de Choisy. On the 3rd October Tarle- 
ton, who had crossed over the river, made a raid, the out- 
come of which was an engagement that resulted in General 
de Choisy encamping on the field, and thus blocking that 
avenue of escape, or rather communication with the outer 
world. 

The advance on Yorktown was made by parallels. During 
the first week in October the soldiers were employed in mak- 
ing gabions, facines and stakes, and in bringing up all the 
guns, besides accomplishing the work on the redoubts occu- 
pied on the 30th September. The ground was carefully laid 
off by the engineers. The favine above the upper part of the 
town prevented operations in that direction so that attack was 
directed on the lower part, on the enemy's left. The line 
extended from nearly opposite the British centre for two thou- 
sand yards to the river, and from six to eight hundred yards 
from the enemy, this latter distance being caused by the posi- 
tion of redoubts. Number 9 and Number 10, in advance of the 
other works. 

By the evening of the 6th everything was in readiness and 
after dusk the troops paraded, the French on the left under 
Baron Viomenil and the Americans under General Lincoln, 
with Generals Wayne and Clinton as brigadiers, on the right. 
The men dug with a will and silently. For eight hours the 
work went on and at sunrise the British were surprised with a 
line of earthworks, running along their front. The Ameri- 
cans worked by detachments relieving detachments, digging, 
digging, digging, night and day until on the 9th October 



8 

enough batteries had been erected and sufficient strength given 
the works to open the bombardment of the town. At three 
in the afternoon the first shot was fired from the French bat- 
teiy on the extreme left, that had been erected opposite the 
Fusileers' redoubt, and so fierce was the cannonade tlie- frigate 
Guadaloupe was obhged to retire to Gloucester Point out of 
reach of the guns. At five o'clock the Americans opened fire 
on the extreme right. The first shot is, on good authority, 
attributed to the Commander-in-Chief, and it is said to have 
been singularly fatal, falling among a group of British offi- 
cers, killing many. Cornwallis had his headquarters in Secre- 
tary Nelson's house just out of the town, the handsomest resi- 
dence there. During the violent bombardment, which con- 
tinued all night, it was so riddled with shot that he abandoned 
it on the loth, and it was reduced to ruins. On this same day 
two more batteries were opened. Lafayette invited Governor 
Nelson to be present because of his accurate knowledge of the 
place. "To what particular spot would your Excellency sug- 
gest that we point the cannon?" "There," replied the Gov- 
ernor, "to that house. It is mine and, now that the Secretary's 
is nearly knocked to pieces, is the best one in the town. There 
you will be almost certain to find Lord Cornwallis and the 
British headquarters. Fire upon it. my dear Marquis, and 
never spare a particle of my property so long as it affords a 
comfort or a shelter to the enemies of my country." 

The bombardment was so effective that the ships of the 
English were obliged to withdraw, at least those that were 
not sunk. The Charon took fire from a hot shot on the loth 
and was entirely consumed. 

The nth October saw fifty-two pieces of artillery* playing 
on the town, and the enemy's batteries nearly silenced. 

That night the second parallel was begun and by morning 
there had been thrown up an entrenchment seven hundred and 
fifty yards long, three and one-half feet deep and seven feet 
wide; but to complete the line redoubts 9 and 10 must be 
possessed. It was determined to assault them. The night 
of the 14th was chosen for the attack. Number 9 was as- 
signed to the French; Number 10 to the Americans. 

The French were led by Colonel Count William de Deux- 
pont and Lieutenant-Colonel Baron de I'Estrade. At eight 



'One of these pieces of artillery was after the siege presented by Gen- 
eral Lafayette to Lieutenant-Colonel Cropper, grandfather of the author, and 
it is now in his possession. 



o'clock the signal, six shells fired in rapid succession, was 
given and the party moved forward, but the Hessian sentry 
discovered them, and fire was at once opened. A strono- 
abatis stopped them for a few moments and some of the men 
fell. A passage was soon opened, however, the Chasseurs 
dashed on and were quickly upon the parapet. The first was 
the Chevalier de Lameth. who fell shot through both knees. 
Colonel Deuxpont slipped and falling was dragged up by 
Lieutenant de Sillegue, who was mortally wounded in doing 
it. The enemy charged the French, but Deuxpont ordered 
his men to fire and countercharge; and they carried the works, 
the Hessians throwing down their arms. It took less than 
half an hour. The loss was fifteen killed and seventy-seven 
wounded. 

The American battalions, to which was assigned the storm- 
ing of Number lo. were Gimat's. Alexander Hamilton's, and 
half of Laurens'. Hamilton commanded ; his own troops were 
led by Major Nicholas Fish. Lafayette had intended the com- 
mand for Gimat, but Hamilton claimed it because he was Field 
Officer of the day. The decision was left to the Commander- 
in-Chief, who decided in Hamilton's favor. As the six shells 
were fired, Hamilton led his men rapidly forward, having first 
sent Laurens round to cut off the enemy's retreat in the rear. 
The troops marched quickly with unloaded muskets; and. 
without waiting for a way to be cut, they rushed over the 
obstructions and swarming up and over the parapet took the 
works in ten minutes. 

Lieutenant John Mansfield, leader of the forlorn hope, was 
among the first to enter, and received a bayonet wound. 
Stephen Olney,* of Rhode Island, one of the oldest Captains 
in the service, was severely wounded in the arm and side. 
Gimat was wounded in the foot as the first obstruction was 
reached, and obliged to retire. Laurens discharged his duty 
so well that he captured Major Campbell, the British Com- 
mander. Every part of the movement was carried out as 
planned without the slightest hitch. The loss was nine killed 
and twenty-five wounded. Although Arnold's methods at 
New London were not forgotten, no brutality was indulged in. 

*One of the first to enter the redoubt was Captain Olney, who sustained 
terrible bayonet wounds. One in the side of the abdomen was thought to 
be the worst. He recovered, however, from this and others, but the one 
in arm, at the time considered of no importance, in later life made the 
amputation of the whole arm necessary. 



lO 

By morning the supports of the storming parties had converted 
these two redoubts into part of the second parallel. 

Brilliant as all this was, the British were not silent or in- 
active; and on the next night, the 15th, made a sortie, by 
which they captured a French battery and an American one. 
spiking four guns in the former and three in the latter, but 
were driven back by the Viscount de Noailles. It was a brave 
but useless sortie, for in six hours the spiked cannon were 
playing on Yorktown. 

Being by this time fully alive to his situation, Cornwallis, 
on the night of the i6th, began to transfer his troops to Glou- 
cester Point, in the hope that, by forced marches, he might 
reach New York ; but this w^as not to be. A violent storm 
came up at midnight, which made the passage of the river im- 
possible, and those that had crossed in the earlier part of the 
evening were hurriedly brought back at dawn. 

By ten o'clock in the morning of the 17th a drummer was 
seen to mount the British parapet and heard to beat a parley. 
By his side stood a British Officer with a white flag, the mean- 
ing of which could not be mistaken. This Officer was met by 
an American Officer, and, being blindfolded, conducted to the 
rear. Cornwallis asked for a cessation of hostilities for 
twenty-four hours and to have Commissioners appointed to 
prepare conditions of surrender. Washington's reply was. 
that he preferred to receive proposals from the British leader 
in writing, and would cease hostilities for two hours. This 
was acceded to. Among the proposals submitted was one, that 
the British Officers and men should be sent to England on 
parole not to fight against France or America till exchanged. 
This was inadmissible, and it was returned with an ultimatum 
from Washington, to whom every moment was precious, as he 
had good reason to fear the return of the English fleet to the 
bay and the breaking of de Grasse's blockade. Washington 
demanded, among other things, the surrender of Cornwallis 
on the same terms imposed on General Lincoln at Charleston, 
in 1780. Cornwallis yielded on the night of the 17th. The 
next day the Commissioners, Lieutenant-Colonel Dundas and 
Major Ross, on the part of the British, and the Viscount de 
Noailles and Lieutenant-Colonel Laurens for the Americans, 
met at the Moore House and drew up fourteen articles for the 
surrender of the garrison, including the ordnance, stores and 
loyalists. 

Washington sent these to Cornwallis early on the 19th. 



II 



intimating that he sign them by eleven o'clock, and that by 
two the troops should march out and lay down their arms. 
Before eleven the articles were signed in the trenches. 

By noon Colonel Marquis de Laval and Colonel Richard 
Butler took possession of two of the redoubts on the enemy's 
left. 

At two the end came. The British, wearing new uniforms, 
marched out as if on parade, all but their colors, for these 
were cased. They were not allowed to play an American or 
French air. These were the counterpart of the conditions im- 
posed on General Lincoln at Charleston. During the meeting 
of the Commissioners, when the articles were read. Major 
Ross, pointing to one of them, said to Laurens : 
"This is a harsh article." 
"Which article?" said the American. 

"The troops shall march out, with colors cased and drums 
beating a British or a German march." 

"Yes, sir; it is a harsh article," said Laurens. 
"Then," said Ross, "if that is your opinion, why is it here?" 
Laurens, who was one of the prisoners at Charleston, re- 
minded Ross that, although the defense of Charleston had 
been gallant, the Americans were allowed no honors of sur- 
render other than the above. 

"But," replied the Britisher, "my Lord Cornwallis did not 
command at Charleston." 

"There, sir," replied Laurens, "you extort another observa- 
tion — it is not the individual that is here considered ; it is the 
nation. This remains an article, or I cease to be a Commis- 
sioner." 

There was nothing more to be said.. The article stood. 
The colors were cased and the march played was "The World 
Turned Upside Down." Truly, a prophetic tune. 

The prisoners, as they came along the Hampton road, found 
the victors drawn up in two lines, the French on the one side, 
.the Americans on the other. It must have been a picturesque 
sight on that bright October day. The French, with their 
beautiful uniforms and gorgeous white and gold flags; and 
the Americans, in their varied and worn habiliments, that could 
scarcely be called clothes, much less uniforms, with their Com- 
manders, Washington, Rochambeau, Lincoln, Lafayette, 
Steuben, Knox, and the rest, at the head of the lines. Between 
these marched the British, led by General O'Hara in place of 
Cornwallis, pleading illness and sending his sword by the for- 

L. 0£ C. 



12 

mer to be surrendered to Washington. Coming forward, he 
was referred to General Lincohi, who, receiving the sword as 
a sign of surrender, immediately returned it. Tlie vanquished 
troops, passing between the two lines, laid down their arms in 
a field to the south of the town. This ceremony was done in 
a semi-circle' formed by a regiment of French Hussars. The 
prisoners returned by the same route to tlieir tents, where they 
rested a few days ; and then the men and a number of the Offi- 
cers were marched off to the prison camps at Winchester, Vir- 
ginia, and Frederick, Maryland, under guard of the Militia. 
The Commander and his chief Officers were allowed to go to 
New York on parole. Both Washington and Rochambeau 
entertained them at their tables before their departure. 

About the ist November the American army began its re- 
turn march to the Hudson ; but the French remained in and 
around Yorktown for the winter, and in the spring returned 
to Newport, where they were cpiartered till their departure for 
the \\'est Indies in 1782. 

It is needless to say the delight expressed in the United 
States at the surrender was extreme ; the news spread in all 
directions. Washington's aid, Lieutenant-Colonel Tilghman, 
who had been with him since the battle of Long Island, rode 
as fast as horse could take him to Philadelphia. At midnight 
on the 24th he aroused the President of Congress, Thomas 
McKean, and before morning the whole city knew. At two 
o'clock the next day Congress went in a body to hear a sermon 
in the Lutheran Church ; and after that voted a resolution of 
thanks to the army and another to erect a monument at York- 
town. One hundred years later this noble shaft was com- 
pleted. In the evening the City of Philadelphia was illum- 
inated. 

Across the sea, our generous ally, Louis XVI., ordered a 
Te Deum to be sung in Xotre Dame on the 27th November; 
and the municipality of Paris directed all citizens to illuminate 
their houses. In England itself there was a party, who, if it 
did not rejoice, was not sorry. 

Such is the Story of Yorktown. The Revolution prac- 
tically ended here. 

We Americans delight to think of Yorktown as our own. 
It is, but only in part. When one visits the Palace of Ver- 
sailles, there one sees on its walls, among the victories of 
France, Yorktown. May it never be forgotten that it was an 
American victory fought by French men and a French victory 
fought by Americans on American soil. 



MAPS 



OF THE 



Yorktown 
Campaign 




CharlottcBTille 




Map showingf the route and operations of Cornwallis in the south (From 
Fadcn's Map, London, 1787) 




Route of Washington's Army from the 
Hudson to Yorktown 




Plan of the Siege of Yorktown 



References : A, Works at Cornwallis' outer position, evacuated night of September 29th — 
B, B, First parallel. — C, American battery on extreme right, from which Washington fired the 
first shot. — D, Captain Machin's American battery. — E, American mortar battery. — F, French 
battery on extreme left, first to open fire October gth. — G, G, French grand and mortar batteries. — 
H, Zigzag to second paralled. — I, M, Second parallel. — O, N, N, French batteries. — K, Redoubt 
stormed by Americans night of October 14th. — Q, Redoubt stormed by French. — P, P, French 
and American batteries attacked by enemy, night of October 15th. — S, British Fusileers' 
Redoubt. — T, Frigate Charon and transports on fire. — R, R, R, French ships approaching after 
the surrender. 



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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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